Samsung cripples the graphics in the Galaxy Tab WiFi

A WiFi-only version of the Samsung Galaxy Tab recently hit the market, and while it looks virtually identical to the 3G model which was launched last year, it turns out there are a few key differences under the hood. Samsung isn’t really publicizing these changes, but users have discovered at least three things (aside from the lack of 3G) which set the WiFi tablet apart from the original:

Instead of a 1 GHz Samsung Hummingbird processor, the tablet uses a different 1 GHz ARM Cortex A chip, offering similar overall performance.

While users report that the processor, which appears to be a Texas Instruments OMAP3 chip, doesn’t seem much different from the processor used in the 3G model, the PowerVR SGX530 graphics is another story.

Users are reporting that while the 3G model of the tablet can handle 1080p HD video playback, the Samsung Galaxy Tab WiFi tops out at 720p HD video.

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Sad, I was waiting for the wifi version. But now that they crippled it. I’ll just wait for something better to come along.

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Hmmm, it wouldn’t bother me so much if they had been upfront about the difference. Also not thrilled about the deafening silence concerning any potential OS upgrade for the original model. As it is, I’m almost as soured on Android as I am on the legions of unupgradeable Apple products !

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Well, you also don’t have to go through the headaches and terrors of rooting.

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This whining is hysterical. These devices are more crippled in terms of the available software than hardware. Somehow, a slight bump in specs makes the device less useful to us to the point of madness, but knowing that it will be deliberately EOL’s in so far as updates and upgrades to the operating system and accompanying “apps” is something to completely ignore. In fact, we don’t just love Android despite its inherent stupidity. We love the very nature of its stupidity. There’s not a lot of wisdom there, and it’s no wonder that companies like Samsung can get away with pulling stunts like this against consumers like us. It’s no surprise that devices like this rose to prominence in an era in which buying activity is now dominated by the uneducated chasers of marketing and fads that dominate most other segments of consumerism.

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“Somehow, a slight bump in specs makes the device less useful to us to the point of madness, but knowing that it will be deliberately EOL’s in so far as updates and upgrades to the operating system and accompanying “apps” is something to completely ignore. ”

I bought a device that I expected to be the same as the 3G model but without the 3G capabilities. And if they had bumped the specs to the upside instead of the downside I wouldn’t give a rip.

As for EOL considerations, is it so much different than it has been with desktop computers. The software and Operating systems evolve and the hardware becomes outdated. If I am dropping a 200 or 300 a year to upgrade to a better performing device, while I unload the older one on ebay, so be it.

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those minor spec downgrades arent that bad.
I gripe more about the lack of tablet software/apps for these android tablets.

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What mattered more to me, was my ability to use my Box.net app (or other cloud storage app) to download files directly from the internet to my Android Tablet and open the file. That ability should be inherent in ANY mobile internet device.

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I bought a Samsung 226bw monitor…the production one with the cheaper lcd panel…not the one with the Samsung made panel that was put out for review.
Don’t like Samsung business practices.

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